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The Taika
"Rain never falls far from the cloud" Taika family motto Taika No Moribito was a powerful warlord of the Ganizoku at the behest of the Imperial Conquest of the Endless Shore. Along with his 107 other bandits, he plagued the Mikado’s armies and supply train and caused large amounts of damage in a limited amount of time. Impressed by his military skills and his bravado, the Mikado allowed him to live if he swore allegiance to him, which Taika refused, spitting in the face of the First Mikado. His son, Taika No Morinori, was quite a bit more accepting after his father was decapitated by the Peregrine Falcon in one swift stroke and gladly accepted the Mikado’s invitation. Most of the other bandits that served Taika became the sworn samurai of Morinori, who then helped the Mikado conquer the Tarizoku lands. It is the courage of the Taika which many remember and grew into an important tenet of Bushido. As peace settled in the land and the Empire began to grow, the Taika remained one of the most powerful and influential samurai families. It was their rivalry with the equally powerful Sakurazuka and Miyamoto that led to the Great Samurai Uprising of the 7th century, as the three daimyo wanted more representation in the Empire and to gain status in the eyes of the Mikado. The military conflict lasted close to 40 years before the Hayabusa, with the help of the Imperial Family, came to an understanding between the three parties, creating the title of Shogun. While the Sakurazuka family was first to stand in charge of the bakufu, the Taika were always strong contenders to the title and held it multiple times before the Miyamoto monopolized it after the Emerald Isle conquest. The Taika family The Taika family is composed of a rather large group that directly descend from Taika No Morinori, while his vassals and servants come from the descendants of the other 107 Taika Brigands. Almost all the Taika go into military service, as is expected from samurai families and their wealth and power allows them to send these sons and daughters to powerful and influential dojos before they are inducted in the Imperial Legion as officers or begin serving in various Home Guards. Bureaucratic service is very often shunned by the Taika and those who decide to enter in this line of business are often derided and need to find ways to study and participate in the exams on their own. Those who live in Mamushi controlled lands are sometimes called up to serve in the Imperial Magistracy due to their skills. The Taika are very pious spirit worshipper, claiming a few powerful spirits in their ancestry, mainly water deities and other water spirits, and they are known to give praise to the Yamato No Orochi, the Great Hydra that once ruled the Ganizoku lands. While this is accepted worship by the Minister of Astrology, there were times where the local leaders went overboard and there required intervention by the Ordo Malleus to re-establish order. The Taika are rather closer to the Mamushi family in terms of historical alliances than to the Hayabusa, even though they more or less serve both. They are also on rather good terms with the Kotora family in Nittan, often lending their river warfare experience to the rangers during their raids in the Faceless Jungle. Lordship and territory The Taika are officially true Imperial vassals, but quite a bit of their territory lies in Hayabusa and Mamushi territories, close to the Nittan border and relatively far away from he shores. The Taika have very little care about how taxation or the law work in their lands, leaving most of that to their overlords, which are happy to oblige. Economic activity in the region is mainly split between mining in the south, mainly copper, iron and a single, very profitable gold mine, and farming in the north, mainly rice, barley and hops. Distilleries near the main rivers of the region produce some of the most popular sake and beers of the Empire, most of which are shipped along the rivers to Hayabusa ports near the shore or upriver to Mamushi ports near the Inner Sea. The Taika keep a very large house guard force along with a decently sized, decently equipped standing army under arm at all times, as is expected of them by their lords. These forces are split into two, with a typical samurai army, composed of light cavalry armed with long spears and large groups of heavily armed and armored infantrymen and a far more specialized marine force, with lightly armored samurai in river boats being capable of deploying rapidly almost anywhere in the Endless Shores or Midlands on short notice. These marines are usually recruited from more nefarious members of the society, like ronin or very low status ji-samurai, who do not care about getting their hands dirty or act against the tenets of bushido if need be, which makes them extremely efficient, if not well liked by the Imperial authorities. While these troops officially belong to the Mikado directly, they are mainly used in Hayabusa and Mamushi forces when they are required. Whenever the Taika are in control of the bakufu,of course, they also have control over the Imperial Legions. Rivals and enemies Like the other great samurai families, the Taika have quite a few enemies they can rely on. Both the Miyamoto and Sakurazuka are obvious contenders at best enemy for the Taika, having come to blow with both groups often in the past in their bids for the Shogun’s seat. Other minor daimyo envy the Taika and try to challenge them politically, where they are usually not the strongest, but the sheer military power of the Taika, along with their long standing friendship with three influential Sons of Heaven family, along with being an Imperial Vassal, gives them more than enough political clout to challenge them back. Category:Tarigani Category:Midlands Category:Imperial Category:Great Families